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Four Ukrainian citizens were arrested in Vienna this week on suspicion of spying, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said on October 9.
Three of the four remained in custody, Karner said, declining to provide further details because the investigation was ongoing.
The newspaper Ukrainska Pravda said two of its journalists were among those detained. Editor-in-chief Sevgil Musaieva said investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach was released after more than 12 hours in detention on October 8, but his communication devices had not been returned. She also said cameraman Yaroslav Bondarenko was injured during his detention. The other two Ukrainians still in custody were arrested three days earlier.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Vienna said it was awaiting an explanation from Austrian authorities about the arrests and their legal basis, according to Reuters.
The arrests come amid growing scrutiny of alleged covert operations involving Ukrainians across Europe, including investigations into sabotage and attacks linked to Kyiv’s intelligence services.
In July, German prosecutors indicted a Ukrainian national accused of helping coordinate the team that planted explosives on the Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea in September 2022. The suspect, who was arrested in Italy last year, has denied involvement, Reuters reported.
Earlier in April, Serbian authorities found explosives near the Balkan Stream pipeline supplying Russian gas to Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán accused Ukraine of possible involvement, but Kyiv denied the allegation.
A separate investigation concerns a June 29 bombing in Monaco that seriously injured Ukrainian-born businessman Vadym Yermolaiev and two members of his family.
Ukrainian authorities detained a military intelligence officer and a former law-enforcement officer over the subsequent killing of Anastasiia Berezovska, the woman suspected of planting the bomb.
Monaco’s prosecutor said the two men may also have been involved in planning the attack, according to The Associated Press.
In an interview with the BBC published on October 9, former security officer Vitalii Zhykovych alleged that senior Ukrainian military intelligence officials had authorized the operation. Monaco, a sovereign city-state, is not a member of the European Union.
The recent incidents suggests growing Ukrainian sabotage activity inside the European Union. The targets point to a possible motive. Austria and Hungary had both pushed back against widening sanctions on Russia before the recent plots. In the case of Yermolaiev, who is in disagreement with Kyiv, the motive also appears evident.
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